Giza Hookah Lounge
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat 8:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
Sun 8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Garage
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: None
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
179 reviews
San Jose, CA
"ZOMG, I just want to give this place a bad update review so people will stop coming here. It was WAAYYYY too packed the last time I came…" read more »
38 Reviews for Giza Hookah Lounge
Pros: Cool art murals on the wall. Chill and relax. Great choice of music. Love the flavors. Comfy seating arrangements.
Cons: I heard that they don't clean the hookas? Hope that isn't true. Crowded. Not enough seating. Long wait. Bathroom needs to be revamped. A little more lighting please?!
I would give it 3 1/2 stars..this place is fun and a chill atmosphere to smoke and hang out. I like how they sell bubbles so you can blow smoke bubbles and pop them =) Overall fun once in a while.
compared to the other hookah lounge around the block called...uh "Shisha"...or something, this place is better on so many levels. The couches, lighting, paintings, music, and prices. It gets crowded so get your name on the list fast.
I love this place. I've been coming here ever since I turned 18. This is definitley the place to hit up pre or post downtown SJ experience. I love everyone that works here, they're great! The atmosphere is not your typical traditional india-esque hookah feel. More hip-hop and urban than most hookah lounges, I love the black and red decor. The art on the walls is amazing! It's a little awkward inside now that they removed the fabric from the ceiling, it feels too large and open for the comfy lounge feel. Thank god they remodeled the bathroom, it was absolutely disgusting before... even though I look forward to the new and ever-changing graffiti. I'm still waiting for the hole in the bathroom wall to get fixed though... c'mon guys!! However, I totally recommend this place. The flavors are GREAT and everything tastes better with a little mint mixed in. I'm partial to fruity flavors though, mango and blueberry are my favs.... mmmm!
Went here for a friends birthday and i thought it was average. The music was good, it was funny to watch the DJ smoking hooka between songs. The only doen fall is the place is rather small. The dance floor is right in the front of the entrance and really small so everyone who was trying to dance seemed sqooshed and looked kind of uncomfortable. The people were great and the atmosphere was chill and could be fun depending on your group, but definitely not that hip of a place to come often.
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I'm going to go on to say that this was probably the first hookah bars to hit in San Jose which makes it cool because its the original.
The place lacks some style and substance to make it a regular hang out spot, but if you are looking for an interesting night to hang out with an eclectic group of people this is your spot.
The hookah is an exceptional conversational piece to me, although some people prefer to be silent and dead when they are smoking... so if you are going with boring or stagnant people - the music from the DJ or the red lighting might scare them a bit.
I think the place could probably use an upgrade to give it a new overhaul with all the other hookah bars that seem to be popping up all over the place. But even then, the intimacy here with the lighting and the layout is better than all the other hookah venues in San Jose.
Very chill, kick back spot for my friends and I to unwind at. We go here once in a blue moon...if we're really really really bored, I mean super bored. I really have no idea about what flavors to get so I just have the employee make my friends and I something special. Hasn't failed yet. Actually, maybe once it might've tasted like pure dog shit. Last time we went, it was just my two friends and I. We just kept smoking and smoking and ended up smoking too much and feeling sick...I just couldn't help myself, it was addicting and good. Weekends tend to get busy, last time we went, we had to wait an hour so we walked to Pita Pit to eat. Very dimly lit room, nice decor. Wish it was a little brighter so I can check out the breezies, I mean, broads, I mean, women there.
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Best Hookah lounge in San Jose hands down.
Great atmosphere... which is why we go to the lounge after all right?
Prices are fair. The seating has been upgraded recently.
Ha this place brings back memories..fun to go with a large group..but don't go when your overly drunk they won't let you in.
My favorite flavors are peach and I think we got coconut one time too, it was good. But this was like over and year ago.
The bathroom is pretty gnarly, I can only imagine whats gone on in there
I used to go here often before school started taking a toll on me.
The place is very good to unwind and relax in. The atmosphere inside is dim with red lights (if your date is into it, it's a plus) and they play some really mellow music. The couches and pillows are wayyy comfy and one time I actually fell asleep inside, only to be awaken by the staff who said the place was closing.
They have a variety of flavors to choose from. I don't believe I've had a flavor I didn't like (so far I've had vanilla, peach, raspberry, and a couple others that I can't put a name on at the moment).
Maybe I should go back when I get the time because I always feel great when I chill inside.
I love Giza. I think I fell in love with it during my first visit. They had an amazing, cozy seating area with the ceilings draped in red fabric so you had the feeling you were in a Bedouin tent. They also had great Moroccan music playing.
Although they've changed the seating so it isn't as private, I still like the atmosphere and still love the murals on the walls--think Egyptian-meets-street-art murals. They also tend to play more rap and hip-hop from what I've noticed, and my preferred regional music they used to play.
I have never had a problem asking for new coals, but if they have had new management that is telling them to not give them out, I'm not sure. If that happens during my next visit, I'll update this post.
For all of you people in the South Bay (i.e. Palo Alto, Mountain View, et al.) forget about going to Sehbali and hit up Giza for a change. They're open just as late usually and are far better than it ever could be.
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This place here, is the shitz. I went here a few time with the gang and had a great time. The place have alot of nice design that make you seem like ur in egypt. Back in the days we would go there and order two bongs and then smoke from both. The girls would smoke and blow it out while taking a picture for myspace. THOSE "MYSPACE WHORE" hahah It was fun i enjoy the lounge environment where it makes u want to just knock out. Good place to hang out but be sure people are willing to smoke cuz it not a free place to lounge.
This place is soo relaxing. The atmosphere is great. Came here with a huge group and hookahed our way to bliss. Many different and unique tobacco flavors to choose from and friendly service.
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This place is ok..... We went there for my birthday and the guy kept saying happy b-day to meeh. i thought it was amusing. but we ordered apple and kiwi and all you could taste was mint! I think it could be because most of the flavors have mint so maybe its stuck in the hookah. They have some really weird hookah flavors like viagra, orgasm and some other weird ones. Its super dark inside but a fun environment. Only saw the guy when he brought out the hookah didn't even come by to check the coal...... i heard shisha is better so Ima try that one next =D. Its kinda pricy too..
Giza is a great place to smoke some hookah. They have a very chill and relaxing environment. I was devastated when Off the Hookah closed down and decided to try my luck here. (I am a hookah freak, btw). The smoke goes down very smooth and is not harsh at all. They also cover their coals so you won't be scared that you might topple over some coals on yourself or your friends. I would recomment a mix of the mango peach flavors.
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I love hanging with a group of my friends and just hookahing it up along with a good conversation. This place is great and much better than the other hookah lounges I've been at. The atmosphere is great but the people that go around changing your coal tend to lag. Overall the place is great and the prices are decent.
Are you looking to take a break in between clubs/bar? Maybe you're wanting to sit down and talk with some friends or a date and want to do it where you can hear each other. Giza is the answer. This dark and well decorated hookah lounge is a hit. They have several lounge areas where you can sit back, smoke a bowl of Shisha, and converse. Its a nice relaxing place which is sure to catch your eye.
The decor mocks ancient Egypt with several wall paintings and nice lacy lace streaming from the ceiling through out the lounge. The Shisha is good, I personally think it's a tad over priced, but I am willing to pay the extra to chill out in this spot. They do have a wide range of Shisha. You can mix and blend flavors.
This is a great starter lounge If you enjoy Shisha or maybe have always wanted to try some. Very trendy spot and is not too hardcore and easy for starters to pick flavors and learn about Hookah smoking. Once you graduate you want to hit the more "traditional" spots. However this place is good as is.
This place is cool for sure. They definitely set up a cool vibe and even hired a DJ for some great beats while you smoke your hookah.
Definitely digged the couches and hookah-ish environment. Good crowd too, last time I went people nearby wanted to spark conversation. Hookah isn't bad either. I don't really like hookah. Can I just put some green in it and have a better time? LOL
On a serious note... parking is kinda a bitch since its downtown SJ but you deal with it. Prices are okay. I'd go again, but hookah doesn't really do anythin for me
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PINEAPPLE & HONEY! YUM!
...i have a problem. i like to smoke. cigars, ciggarettes, and hookah. not very lady like - *shrugs* - who cares? and i think its UBER fun going there with a group of friends just to wind down... and if you run out of great conversation topics - its EASY to make your own with a bottle of bubbles and a contest as to who "blows more". hahaha....
just dont bring shady noobs that hog up all the fun. remember: its "puff, puff, PASS!" idiots. dont fuck up rotation. remember to bring or buy a bottle of water though. cotton mouth occurs when smoking hookah.
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DON'T BE FOOLED.
The graffiti art is wonderful however the hookahs DON'T HIT PROPERLY and they WON'T CHANGE YOUR COAL. They claim to use "high quality" coal that burns longer however in reality they're just CHEAP PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE MORE MONEY. They only use 1 coal and if you've been there you know how crappy the hookahs hit, compared to a correctly setup hookah you barely get any smoke out of these even with air chamber adjustments. THINK ABOUT IT, they know if they use less coal which burns less tobacco at a slower pace they'll make more money.
Edit: Also I just checked the "photos" for this place, and they're NOT from Giza, they're from the better Hookah lounge nearby called Sisha (might be spelled incorrectly). I've been to both and HIGHLY recommend Shisha over Giza, they're hookahs hit perfect, they have more flavors which you can mix and match, and they'll change your coal *gasp*
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I have heard rumors that they have changed their methodology as of late...my review is based from the first time I went there when they first opened....so perhaps this review is a bit tad out of place. I know I haven't been there in a minute because friends have bought there own hookas, I don't hooka as much, much less smoke....etc.
Anyways, let's put it this way...I LOVE THIS PLACE. I don't quite recall how much it cost or how long I waited because the experience there was great. I usually go there with a crowd and I can still remember the first time there were over a dozen of us with 3 hookas going....and we were all splayed about like a really bad Abercrombie and Fitch ad.....it was fun. I have to admit that the place has come a long way since the walls were blue and the hookas were simply regular ones instead of giant platinum ones. Back in the day dj's were spinning every nite, customers were dancing everywhere, people had snakes and birds with them....and seemed like we always knew someone. I love Long and Tri....my bad - I think I spelled her name wrong but those two are great people. I believe they own or did own the place....they were the first two to be there when I came through the door and then I find out they got married then all of a sudden they have a kid....go figure. Then there was the last time I was there drunk.....my friends woke me up from my stupor and told me that they were closing and didn't want to throw me out - checked my watch and realized it was almost 3am. Love those guys.
Perhaps they are NOW expensive, maybe they have changed there ways, but whatever.....but I will still be heading there till they do me wrong - one can not put a price on a good time or good people.
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$20 for about 3-5 people for about 25-40 minutes. A little expensive though. It's not very well-lit so it has a nice ambiance. They card, which is nice. Lots of flavors to choose from.
Pretty cool place to just chill..
Me and some friends went there instead of going out bar hopping and clubbing one weekend night. We came across Giza, and it looked like they were about to close, but the owner said it was ok, and we had plenty of time. The environment is ok, but seems to be a bit on the dirtier side. They did have a pretty good selection of tobacco to choose from, we decided to go for white peach, and honey pineapple.
The service wasn't too bad, its just we came a bit late, and felt bad for the owner to wait for us to finish. So we put to use our vacuum lungs, and killed the rest of the tobacco with a quickness. I'd come back here if it was a bit more cleaner...
Love the art here! Sometimes theres this guy at the front that kinda has an attitude if something happens, like a lil snare. But I try to ignore it cuz its his job (i guess) anyway, totally dig!
I love this place!! we go here a lot and its great. The music is alright but i wouldn't mind listening to it. The price is good for hookah too but its on the higher end. I love the atmosphere because its relaxing.Its pretty dark inside and looks great. I like this place
I liked it here. its really chill. nice people. good music. clean.
and pretty cheap. well depending on what kinda flavor you want but
i would recommend it most def.
This place is bad now !!!! They have some thing that covers the top of the hookah so the coal wont burn as fast... but we were done in about 20 minutes... After we asked for a coal refill and they did not give it to us... this place will not have me coming back anymore. I use to go here regularly because of the environment and now they jacked up the price and went cheap on us. I would recommend the SMOKE THIS in santa clara they refill plus the smoke is just emazing
They really have the lounge thing nailed down. Big, comfy couches, good smoking tobacco, nice decor, music is good if you like current hits, and the theme though out the lounge is very nice.
The crowd is decidedly younger than other locations, but in San "Police State" Jose, options are limited. Last night all the kiddies were well behaved, people quietly talking or have a good time without being so loud is messed with your mellow mood.
The couches my friend and I were on were dirty, with wrappers, crumbs and other stuff all over it. If we would have had to dust ourselves off every time we got up, this would have been a 5 star place.
i really like this place. it's a nice chilllll small place with comfy couches and pillows. they used to have pillows where you sit on the ground, but the place upgraded. decor is cool as well. it has a egypt meets hiphop sort of deal. i know the guy who did the artwork. he's cool and very talented.
when you step in, there's the front desk where you pick out whichever flavor shisha you want for your hookah, pay, and wait for them to seat you. sometimes it can be quite a wait since the place isn't that big and it gets crowded on weekend nights. the most that i've waited was probably like 30-40 mins.
the staff is nice. the people who come in are pretty friendly as well. if it's busy, you'll only get one extra charcoal, but then again, it usually dies out midway after the second charcoal.
the bathrooms are kind of scary since it's down the hallway in the back and there's only one f'in lightbulb to light the place up. other than it being scary, it's a good place to meet guys. yes, i meet guys while waiting for the bathroom. :)
added:
the tall asian guy that works in the front is so cute when he smiles. i'll smoke his hookah anytime. :D
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Don't go here. Within the last 3 months they became tight-asses.
It was my second trip to Giza, the first one being about 3 months ago. 3 months ago, it was great, comfy couches, cool murals, nice people and good shisha.
But now they don't change your coal and they jacked up their prices. The music is loud, not relaxing. The lights were to bright. The entire combination almost gave you a headache - it wasn't relaxing. But all this would have been totally ok if they had refilled the coal. I have never been to a place that doesn't refill coal. That's pretty standard!!! This means that you can't even really finish your shisha! The coal was dwindling down and the shisha wasn't out yet. That means wasted tobacco.
We asked about it and they said that it was something new that management put in and that one coal should be enough to last the entire hookah. But it really obviously didn't. We asked if we could have more and they said that the only thing that we could do was buy an entire new one.
Time to look for a new hookah place.
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I am a hookah addict. I have been to pretty much every place, and by far this place sticks out. Its well maintained, the people are friendly, and you feel welcome when arriving. Would defiantly recommend for big groups. One thing to be sure to bring is your I.D., no I.D., no entrance, no exceptions! And if your middle-eastern, it's not your typical hookah bar!
other then the hookah its not very clean I've seen people make out on the couches who knows what they did to the pillows but other then that the environment is cool good music sometimes only at night its very packed and the wait is sometimes over an hour because people don't leave when they are finished they just stay and chat other then that its a good tabacco place to smoke different flavors with friends
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hey folks definately do not get discouraged a bad review, they stopped doing one coal per hookah, they decided it was a bad idea and they only did it for a small amount of time!! but yeah this place is great, the first hookah lounge in the area!! and proballly the best music in the area on Thursday Nights with a night called arious Blends, 2nd Thursdays of the month they have a six degrees night with free cd giveaways and fstuff like that!! check out the website for more info
http://sixdegreesrecor...
I had a small taste of what the peeps in my party settled on - blueberry - it was pretty good. There's probably over 40 flavors to choose from - so don't go with indecisive people.
In general this place doesn't seem to open till 8. I showed up around 8:15 - we had the whole place to ourselves.... the layout of the room with huge circular booths makes this a nice place for bigger groups... and the techno/tribal decor was a bit creepy when the place was empty. I expect that it fills up with the 18-21 year olds later on in the evening (this is just a suspicion) as they don't serve liquor or food.
you might have to wait a while because this place is so popular, but thankfully they only let a few people in the main room at a time
otherwise it's a great, quiet place to spend with friends, mulling things over while waiting out your hangovers
really cool egyptian decor, as well
i tried to categorize this place, but i can't really decide what a hookah lounge goes under. it's not a really a bar because you don't buy drinks, but it's not a restaurant or a club (even though they play music). anyway, it's a hookah lounge.
it has this futuristic egyptian decor thing going on which i don't understand, but it doesn't matter because no one else does either, but pretends to anyway because only trendy fucks go to hookah lounges.
everyone who's there has one of those i'm-cooler-than-you attitudes, including the guy who works there, with his indie haircut, stretched lobes, and tattoos all over his arms.
they play some weird mix of music, none of it in english, so that your indie-ness automatically goes up by 10 points.
they also provide plastic mouthpieces for the hookah so you don't have to worry about sharing bacteria with the rest of indiefuck san jose.
the hookah is very nice, and the staff are very helpful and cordial because they're all probably stoned anyway. the tobacco is tasty, with premium fruit flavors for $20 (up to 5 people can share) and regular for $15.
4 stars overall though, and i liked their big ass couches.
this is probly one of the first hookah lounges i ben to, and id have to say it has an abundance of 18-21 year olds.
they got tons of tobacco flavors, and they serve water/snapple drinks....yeah no alchohol. decor is really cool, but other than that the prices are 15/regular & 20/premium which is actually prety high to me anywho. oh yeah it opens at 8pm.
....people are laid back, musiq is like a strange mix of im guesin middle eastern/or somthing of that nature not sure.
its a nice place to go for first tymers or few times but after it gets prety dull. couches are nice which is a bonus. give it 3stars.
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